A former landfill in the west end of Red Deer County will see another round of cleanup, pushing the price tag to over $3 million.
The Kevisville Waste Transfer Site was closed in 2010 when the Yankee Flats site was opened. County residents had been taking their garbage to Kevisville, about 10 km southwest of Spruce View, since the 1980s.
After Kevisville was closed, an environmental assessment was done on the site. It showed contaminants in the soil posed potential risks to groundwater and nearby environmentally sensitive areas.
Several years ago, $1.6 million was put aside by the county to excavate the garbage and take it to another landfill. The hole was then filled in and reseeded to grass.
During that remediation work, the contractor discovered additional buried garbage. The extent of the garbage pit was mapped out and tenders called to complete an additional cleanup phase.
The tender identified about 25,000 tonnes of waste to be removed.
Six tenders were received. Council approved the lowest tender, $1.28 million from Pidherney’s Inc. on Tuesday.
Once complete, the total cost of cleaning up the site is expected to be about $3.1 million, including expenses related to reporting, testing, monitoring and project management.
Mayor Jim Wood said the money is well spent.
“We’re doing the right thing for the residents of Red Deer County,” he said.
“It’s unfortunate that it costs as much as it does but we need to lead by example.”
The site will be returned to an agricultural state, he said.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com